Analí Cine, ASA 115, Week 1 Blog

This week we talked about mixed race and some of the stereotypes and difficulties that come with it. One of the readings that I was particularly interested in was An Invisible Monster: The Creation and Denial of Mixed-Race People in America by Cynthia L. Nakashima. Some of the dominant views of this reading had to do with the creation and definition of multiracial people, hybrid degeneracy, which was the idea that multiracial people are inferior to both or all of their parent races, how mixed race people are seen as immoral and sexually deviant, as well as the idea of race purity and the role of hybrid degeneracy on keeping white race as the dominant race. 

One of the things that struck me the most was the idea discussed on the reading that hybrid degeneracy was used as an explanation for the taking over of Mexico by the United States. I recently took a Mexican history class in which we talked about the U.S. taking a part of Mexico. The main reason for this, as discussed in our class, was because Mexico did not have the artillery or the communication between its army and citizens to be able to successfully combat and win against the U.S. As a result, after fighting a war and losing much of its army, Mexico was forced to give some of its land away. I'm assuming much of the United States knew this during and after the war. They knew that Mexico had outdated weapons, less training, and worse communication between its people. Why is it that a lot of people from the U.S. believed that hybrid degeneracy was the reason for taking over Mexico's land, even if many of the people that were involved in war knew the main reason for Mexico's loss? How is it that the idea of hybrid degeneracy was used so frequently to explain events that already had an explanation and many people did not seem to care? I find it a bit difficult to believe that not many people bothered to question dominant ideologies and the idea of mixed-race people being inferior.

https://www.thejournal.ie/mixed-race-twins-congratulated-on-being-white-2073387-Apr2015/